Ansar Dine

Ansar Dine is an Islamist rebel organization that seeks to implement sharia law in Mali. Founded in 2012 by Iyad Ag Ghaly, the organization has 2,000 members, and plays a major role in the Malian Civil War as the primary rebel group in northern Mali. They are linked to al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), and they are opposed to Sufi shrines.

History
Ansar Dine was founded in early 2012 out of the Ifora tribe of Tuaregs (Moors) led by Iyad Ag Ghaly, an Islamist leader from northern Mali who sought to destroy Sufi shrines across the country. Originally a leader for the independence movement of Azawad, Ag Ghaly became a major Sunni militant commander in the Islamic Maghreb. Ag Ghaly had a connection to al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) through his cousin Hamada Ag Hama, who was an AQIM commander. The organization led the Tuareg Rebellion of 2012, starting the Malian Civil War.

Ansar Dine fought against the government of Mali and destroyed several Sufi shrines in the country, while also massacring villagers. In April, they implemented sharia (Islamic law) in Timbuktu, forcing women to wear veils, legalizing the stoning of adulterers, and the mutilation of thieves. In May 2012, they took over Gao and banned video games, music, bars, and soccer. They also formed the Islamic Republic of Azawad alongside the MNLA, but in June 2012 they withdrew from the pact. Ansar Dine conquered Gao from the Azawadis, and announced that they were in control of all of the cities in northern Mali. In November 2012, they were so powerful that Burkina Faso and Algeria went to talks of peace with them. In January 2013, France launched Operation Serval against Ansar Dine, and intervened in Mali by sending soldiers to fight the Ansar Dine alongside United Nations peacekeepers, while also using planes to bomb the Ansar Dine positions.